During the manual or automatic application of paints to objects, a partial flow of the paint, which generally contains both solids and/or binders as well as solvents, is not applied to the object. This partial flow is called “overspray” among experts. In general, this overspray is a disperse system, such as an emulsion or suspension or a combination thereof, and often has highly adhesive properties. The overspray is picked up by the air stream in the painting booth and mostly led to a processing device. There the overspray is separated from the process air, so that the air can be led back into the coating booth again, optionally after a suitable conditioning.
The overspray-laden process air is led via a flow path to the processing device by means of an air guiding device. For this purpose, in the plants known from the market, so-called air guiding plates and air guiding ducts composed of such plates, over and through which the overspray-laden process air flows, are used. However, on the surfaces over which the overspray-laden process air flows on the flow path to the processing device, already some of the overspray can be deposited before it reaches the processing device.
Over time, a thick layer of overspray thus forms on the air guiding device, which has highly adhesive properties and can disrupt the free flow path for the process air. Therefore, from time to time this overspray must be removed and the affected surfaces cleaned.
In order to make this cleaning easier, it is known to grease the relevant surfaces or cover them with a film. However, this is possible without difficulties only for easily accessible surfaces. This solution is not practicable where the flow path passes through ducts or the like possibly with a curved course.